The United Kingdom has ruled out the possibility of transferring or selling MQ-9A Reaper UAVs to Ukraine. This is despite the fact that they were decommissioned in September 2025, with their last operational flight already completed.
This response was given by the UK's Minister for Armed Forces, Alistair Carns, in response to questions from parliamentarians. It was noted that the drones will be written off in accordance with obligations under the FMS contract, meaning that the United States' position also plays a role.
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From Defense Express we would like to note that the previous White House administration explicitly rejected supplying MQ-9A drones to Ukraine. The position of the new administration is not officially known, but it is possible that its opinion has not changed.
The UK acquired Reapers in 2007 and actively deployed them in combat operations in Afghanistan, where the drones logged over 173,000 flight hours. Now, with their decommissioning, an entire era is coming to an end.
It is likely that permission was not requested again because the UAVs may have lacked sufficient resources for further use. Moreover, returning these systems to operational status might demand resources that could be put to more effective use.
Newer MQ-9B Protector UAVs are already being delivered to the UK to replace them. They offer better detection capabilities and longer flight endurance.
As for the Reapers, they can fly for up to 27 hours but remain highly vulnerable to modern air defense systems, as shown by the shooting down of American drones in Yemen. Therefore, considering the required infrastructure, such a transfer seems far from practical — even with the platform's potential mothership function for Switchblade 600s.
A proposal has been made to employ the MQ‑9A against drones using AIM‑9 air‑to‑air missiles. Although this is theoretically safer than using manned fighters, it is unclear how effective it would be in real conditions.
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